Kristie wrote: ... the reason people get so bent out of shape on issues like this is because Americans/Canadians/Australians view cats as pets. You (and I mean people in general, not specifically you) don't think about how poorly the cow who is now your burger was treated but you don't hesitate to condemn anyone who doesn't treat cats and dogs like mini humans.Just because you think cats are pets doesn't mean everyone does. They eat cats in other countries. Dogs too. Pets are a cultural thing. You'd be appalled at what they do to dogs in other countries.
... Just curious to see if you eat meat, msolga.
I disagree with what you're saying here, Kristie ... I'm not only concerned about pets. I also think fox hunting, for example, is wrong for cruelty reasons. The conditions that battery chickens survive in are appalling. I strongly oppose the live sheep export trade from Australia to the middle east. Etc, etc, etc ...
I have travelled quite a bit & am well aware that some animals considered "domestic pets" in Oz/US are eaten as food in some other countries. I've also seen some pretty decrepid, unhealthy looking animals in parts of Asia ... but, then, many of the people who own those animals are living in extreme poverty, too. But we're not talking about 3rd world countries in this discussion, though ... People in prosperous countries like ours are in a position to treat all animals - domestic/farming - far better than a poor villager in India.
Yes, I eat meat. Was a vegetarian for 15 years, too. I almost never eat red meat, certainly not McDonald's burgers & the like. It is quite possible to be a carnivore & also oppose the inhumane treatment of animals & how they're treated between the farm & the supermarket shelf - transport, slaughter, etc - I do. It is also possible to buy free range chickens & eggs & I do. You do what you can & support ethical producers.
But what all this has to do with questioning whether squashing a defenceless kitten into a glass jar for amusement & entertainment is a reasonable thing to do, I'm not sure ...